Not Another Love Story

Prologue

James Carterson yelped as he shut his laptop. The sensitive flesh between his thumb and index finger caught between the lid and the base causing a severe pinch. James vigorously shook his hand to relieve the pain. When writers said they pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their manuscripts, this was not what James had in mind.

He swore to himself and shoved the offending laptop into a messenger bag, slung it over his shoulder, and bolted out the door just as the alarm on his phone began to ring. He was dangerously close to being late on his first day. His friend, Thomas, would wring his neck if James didn't clock in on time. Thomas was the one who convinced the editor-in-chief of Jack and Jill's Library to hire James onto their creative writing team full time. And while James was certain nothing bad would happen to Thomas if James waltzed in a little late, James wasn't about to disrespect the favor and risk going back to the unemployment line.

It took one train and a ten minute walk to make it to the office. James took a mental note of all the cafes, diners, and restaurants he passed. There was a decent amount to choose from, both commercial and mom-and-pop. Good thing, too, because he definitely didn't have time to fix a lunch before he ran out the door. Or before his laptop bit him.

James nodded to the receptionist, grabbed his punch card, clocked in, then sat at his cubicle with a heavy sigh. He pulled out two notebooks from his messenger bag and opened them. The first to a blank page to write ideas for his column, and the second to a page full of letters, scribbles, and symbols all vaguely resembling that barely legible language only writers knew how to translate. James placed this notebook to the side but within arms reach in case inspiration struck him for his novel.

James desperately hoped inspiration would strike.

Thankfully, words for his column were not quite so coy. By the time his lunch break rolled around, James had three-fourths of a first draft written. He removed his thick, black-rimmed glasses and massaged his dry eyes. Did he forget to blink?

There was a knock on the wall of his cubicle. James looked up in surprise to see a vaguely familiar shape standing in front of him. James returned his glasses to bring his vision into focus. The form sharpened into a man with a medium build, bald head, and full, thick beard which framed a bright smile that James knew made multiple men and women on their floor swoon.

"Hey, James!" the man said with a voice as bright as his smile.

James returned it in full. "Thomas, hey!" They clasped hands in camaraderie.

"How's the first day goin'?" asked Thomas as he plucked a binder clip from the desk. Thomas was always fidgeting with something for as long as James knew him.

"Um, great! Hey, thanks so much for getting me this job. I really appreciate it."

Thomas waved a hand. "Don't mention it. You earned it when you freelanced with us. All I did was convince the boss lady to permanently add in your segment. Although, to be honest, I'm pretty sure she was going to do that anyway. The subscribers love Caine and London."

James chuckled. "Who knew there were so many parents desperate to tell their children stories about the wacky adventures of a Doberman and a tabby cat?"

"More like the kids are desperate to know what happens next. You've got good stuff, dude. They could make a cartoon out of it. I know my little girl would love it." Thomas nodded to the notebook full of scribbles. "Is that the next installment? The proof of genius?"

James shifted uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yes. Sure. Proof of genius, absolutely."

Thomas scoffed. "Good thing you write better than you lie, Carterson." He tossed the binder clip at James's chest, which he caught with ease. "Don't worry about it. As long as you get the first draft to me and the boss lady by end of day tomorrow, I don't care what you work on. If you get inspiration for something else, far be it from me to stop you. As long as our work is done, any free time is yours. Enjoy your lunch!"